What is a Hashtag?

A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by the hash sign (#) that categorises content on social media. Hashtags make content findable for people who do not follow your profile, which increases your organic reach beyond your existing followers.

How do hashtags work?

When you use a hashtag, your post is indexed under that topic on the platform. Users who click on or search for a hashtag see all recent posts with that tag. The algorithm also uses hashtags as a context signal to decide who gets to see the content.

Hashtags per platform

On Instagram hashtags are strong: use 5 to 15 targeted tags. On LinkedIn 3 to 5 hashtags work best, as too many look spammy. On X/Twitter hashtags are fleeting and situational; use them for trending topics. On Facebook hashtags are less effective. TikTok uses hashtags mainly for discovery and trending content.

Hashtag strategy

Combine broad hashtags (large reach, lots of competition) with niche hashtags (smaller reach, higher relevance). Avoid purely generic tags and use terms that your target audience actually follows or searches.

How many hashtags should I use?

This varies a lot per platform. Instagram: 5 to 15. LinkedIn: 3 to 5. Quality and relevance come before quantity.

Do hashtags still work on Facebook?

Less well than on Instagram or LinkedIn. Facebook has never integrated hashtags properly into its discovery algorithm. More at developers.google.com/search.